Do your chickens behave?

[BellevueOmlet]

It's nice to hear about everyone's good birds. I have to admit they picked up the bad habit lately of hanging out on my deck, which is fine but they poop on it and it ruins the wood. They look so cute out on it, I let them stay and just clean up after them.

 

[Mama_hen]

I have 10 hens. They start going to bed around 830 pm. About 830 or so I go down to close them in for the night. I also have 7 roos, 4 in one oen and 3 in another. An entry for them to come and go from coop to a fenced area gets closed each night and opened each morning. The boys have a caged area along with a coop for sleeping in in the winter. The girls have an 8 by 8 coop and a 20 by 20 fenced in area. The boys are on ther roost and the girls are inside the coop on their roost. When I make my way down to close them up for the night, a few of my buff hens run towards me hoping I have a treat for them. I tell them that it's time to sleep, and I proceed to palce the water and food inside and talking to them the whole time, saying that they have to go to sleep. My husband laughs because they start walking up the ramp and looking at me like do I have too..... LOL I close the door and they get quiet and sleep. About 630am I am out there opening everyone up and the girls are just a fussing, they want out. They hear me and get louder...... Once open they sound like a herd of horses running a race. Later I feed and give fresh water and they are looking for a treat too. Hens and roosters aren't too bad to handle, just by talking to them seems to get them to understand who you are and they'll respond as though you are Mom along with alittle back talk, LOL.

 

[Pele]

If by 'behave' you mean 'follow their stomachs' then absolutely! My city girls like to troupe around after me in my yard, in case treats are forthcoming.

I encouraged this behavior so that when I need them in the coop in a jiffy, I can just throw some bread in there. Problem solved because they're little beasties when it comes to food. I swear you could get them to snuggle up to a raging bull for bread.

The only time it's inconvenient is when they learned they could tap my back porch door for treats.

I can't be in the kitchen when they're ranging without listening to 'taptaptaptap tap!"

 

[flowergirl60]

Quote:
Mine have picked up the same habit.

But I have to admit it is my fault. I like having them there with me when I sit out there.

 

[egg_tastic]

They don't eat all your flowers?

I have 10 seven week old pullets in my hose still as their coop is a slow process. DH works 7 days a week. However, between 8:05 - 8:20 every single night they line up on the stairs to come inside. I open the door, and they walk in a group to the laundry room. They get on my porches. One porch I make them get off, but the other is a lost cause. I just spray the poop off in the evenings when I water my flowers. Now the trick is to teach the chickens to not step on my flowers, and eat all the flower buds. My poor daylilies get picked clean as soon as they send up a scape.

 

[7L Farm]

You have to bribe mine & there's always a few that I have to wait on but I can get them into their coop.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

They eat a little of everythign but do not seem to damage anything. We have so much growth right now with weeds and grass all over that they can't help but hop from section to section without destroying too much.

 

[PatS]

Good girls!

 

[sadies chicks]

My girls are tucked in, everyone in their specific place, by 8pm every night - never fails! I love it!

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Mine chicks put them selves away everynight all I have to do is close the doors.

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